Cast-off-finger-operating cam for circular-knitting machines



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. D. HUSE.

CAST-OPP FINGER OPERATING CAM FOB CIRCULAR KNITTING MAGHIIIES- No. 370,543. e Patented Sept. 27, 1887..

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.. W. D. HUSH.

GAST-OFF FINGER OPERATING CAM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES.

No. 370,543. Pa.tented Sept. 27, 1887.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

WARREN D. HUSE, OF LAGONIA, NEWV HAMPSHIRE,

CAST-OFF-FINGER-OPERATING CAM FOR CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 870,543, dated September 27, 1887.

Application filed October 21, 1886. Serial No. 216,823. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1', WARREN D. HUsE, of Laconia, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oast-Off-FingerOperatiug Cams for Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification.

My invention relates to that class of circular-knitting machines in which a series of verfinally-reciprocating latch-needles are used in combination with a series of radially-reciprocating cast-off fingers, and particularly to the cam for operating said castoff fingers, and is an improvement upon the invention described in Letters Patent No. 331,400, granted to me December 1, 1885; and it consists in a novel construction of the casted-operating cam, which will be readily understood by reference to the description of the drawings, and to the claim to be hereinafter given.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a central vertical section of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan of one-half oftheeast-off-operating cam, showing that portion of the cam in which the throws are formed. Fig. 3 is a plan of the same portion of said cam. Fig. 4 is a section on line 00 m on Figs. 2 and 3, andFig. 5 is a section on line y y on Fig. 2.

In circular-knitting machines of the class herein described it is necessary that the reciprocation of the cast-off fingers should take place after the needles have been moved to their highest position and from said highest position-nearly to their lowest position, and this is true whether the machine is revolved in one direction or the other, and as it is necessary, in order to knit the heel and toe portions of a stocking on such amachine, to move the needle-operating-cam cylinder through a portion of a revolution in one direction and then in the opposite direction, it becomes necessary to provide for changing the position of the cast-offoperating cam relative to the needle-operating cam, or in some way causing the movements of the east-offs to succeed the movements of the needles regardless of the direction in which the needle-cam is moved. This I have heretofore accomplished in two different ways, as follows: first, by connecting the needle-cam and the cast-off cam rigidly together, so that they should revolve or move in unison, and providing the cast-oft cam with two throws adapted to impart two complete reciprocations tothe cast-off fingers, as describedin Letters Patent No. 331,400, granted to me De cember 1, 1885; second, by providing the castoff cam with only one outward and inward throw, and so connecting said cam with the needle-cam that the latter, whenever its motion is reversed, shall move some distance before the cast-off cam is moved in the same direction, as described in Letters Patent No. 335,587, granted to me February 9, 1886.

The object of my present invention is to dis pense with the lost motion between the me dle-cam and the castoff cam of the 1ast-1nentioned patent and the duplicate throw of the first above-mentioned patent.

in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, in which A is the camring, having the downwardly-projecting annular rim an, arranged to encompass the radially-grooved ring B, in the grooves of which are fitted the castbfffiugers b,as shownin Fig.1.

The cam-ring A is provided upon its under To accomplish this I make the cast-off-operatin g cam'j as shownside with a cam-groove for operating the castoff fingers, composed of a concentric portion, a, formed in the metal of said ring and extending around nearly three-fourths of the circumference of a circle, and the remaining portion formed by the inner edges of the plates (1, d, and e and the section of the fixed outer wall, f, as shown in Fig, 2. The plates at and d are each secured in position by a single screw, h, which passes through a slot, 9, formed in the ring A, and screws into said plate (I or d, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,, so that each of said plates may be readily adjusted to any desired position between the ends of the two sections f and f of the fixed outer wall of the cam groove, and may be firmly secured in said desired position by tightening the screws h.

The plate 6 is connected loosely to the ring A by means of the two screws i i, which pass through the slot j formed in said ring, and screw into the plate cin such a manner as not to clamp said plate 6 to the ring A, but leave it free to be moved endwise thereon, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

The heads of the screws L 17, which project above the ring A, are inclosed in the segmental casing 7a, to preventsaid heads while moving from catching the yarn and breaking the same, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The ring A has firmly secured thereto at Z the upper branch of the U-shaped arm G, the lower branch of which is firmly secured to the needle-cam cylinder in such a manner that the point Z of the cast-oii' cam is directly abovethe apex of the needleoperating-cam path. (Not shown.)

The operation of my invention is as follows: The several parts of the machine being in a state of rest and the cam-plate 6 being in the position shown in Fig. 2, if the needle and cast-off cams be revolved in the direction indicated by the arrows on Figs. 2 and 3 the friction of the lugs of thecast-oif upon the cam-plate 0 will retard said plate or 'prevent it moving with the ring A until the end at of the inner wall of the cam-groove comesin contact therewith, when the plate 6 will move in unison with the ring Aso long as the motion is continuedin the same direction, and as the apex of the doubleincline formed upon the workingedge of the plate a is behind the apex of the throw of the needle-cam it follows that the reciprocations of the castoif fingers succeed in proper order the rcciprocations of the needles. If, new, the motion of the needle-cam cylinder and the cast-off cam-ring is reversed,the plate 0 will be retarded or held in a state of rest until said reciprocation of the cast off fingers succeeding the rcciprocations of the needles, as before.

The plates (1 and d may be adjusted to regu late the time when the cast-oft fingers shall be moved inward to discharge the loops from the sinkers.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

A castoff-finger-operating cam provided with the adjustable plates (1 and d, means whereby the plates d and cl may be held in place when adjusted to the desired position, the automatically-movable cam-plate e, and a fixed concentric segmental groove arranged to co-operate with said plates, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof lhave signed my name to this specification, in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses, on this 20th dayof October, A. D. 1886.

' lVARREN 1). HUSE.

Witnesses:

WALTER E. LOMBARD, GnARLEs K. STEARNS. 

